Improvement in governors



3 SHeets--Sheetl.

S. T. THU MAS.

Governors or Hydraulic Reg uflators.

No. 134,328. Patented Dec.24,1872

WYTNESSES M gmfim INVENTQR 45 Add AM PHOTO-L/Ti/UGFA FHIU COAX/OSBORNE? PROCESS.)

3 Sheets-:Sheet 2.

S. T. THOMAS.

Governors or Hydraulic Regulators.

N0. 134,328. Patefited Dec. 24, 1872.

WWNEssEs MM amfi mw. \NVENJ Z B 9W AM. PHOTO-LITHOGMPH/C E QMXHZSBURNE 1S PROCESS.)

3Sheets--Shet3.

S. T. TH 0 MAS.

'Governors or Hydraulic Regulators.

Patented Dec 24,1872

WITNESSES INVENTOR AM PHOTO-L ITHDEIPA PHIL CU. M X/OSBO/YNE FROLT SS,

SAMUEL THOMAS, OF GILFORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

IMPROVEMENT IN GOVERNOR$R HVQRAULIC REGULATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. li3fi-,32, dated December 24, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, SAMUEL T. THOMAS, of Gilford, in the county of Belknap and State of New Hampshire, have invented. certain Improvements in Hydraulic Regulators; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanics and forms part of this specification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

The invention relates to that class of hydraulic governors in which there is used with the governor spindle or shaft a shield and ra-tchet-and-pawl mechanism, the position of the shield being determined by the rise or fall ofthe governor-spindle, produced by the movement of the governor balls and arms, and the position of the shield determining the action of a pawl upon a ratchet-wheel carried by the shaft that effects the rise or fall of the waterg In my invention I make the governor-spindle with a gear-bar extension, said bar having teeth meshing into a pinion turning loosely upon a shaft, upon which are fixed two ratchetwheels, the teeth of which stand in opposite directions, said wheels being moved in opposite directions (to turn the shaft in one or the other direction) by respective pawls. The pinion or pinion-sleeve carries a disk-shield havin g a'perimeter, one part of which extends beyond the periphery of the ratchets, the other part beingof less diameter than the ratchets, the projecting part of this disk being called the shield. This disk is turned by the action of the rack-bar upon the pinion as the speed of the governor-arms increases or diminishes, and as the shield is therebymoved it is brought under one or the other of two springs extendin g from the respective pawls of the two ratchet-wheels, throwing the pawl out of action and allowing the other pawl to act upon its wheel to turn the shaft and raise or lower the gate, as demanded by the speed of the governor, the shield being kept in position so that both pawls are held out of action with their ratchets so lon gas themean or proper speed is maintained.

It is in the arrangement of this gear ra-ck, pinion, and shield, and the ratchet-wheels and pawls and gate-shaft that my invention primarily consists.

The drawing represents a mechanism embodying the invention. site end elevations. construction.

a denotes the governor-stand, having bearings b which support the pivots c of the gov ernor-arms d, the inner ends of these arms extending between flanges or collars e on the spindle f, fall and rise of the spindle being produced by the outward centrifugal movement of the rotating arms d, or their inward move ment as their speed of rotation decreases. The stand is supported and rotates on a suitable step and pin, and at its foot it has a bevelgear, 9, meshing into and driven by a bevelgear, h, on a shaft, '6, connected, by a suitable geared connection, with the pulleyshaft 75. The spindle f extends down below the stand, and terminates in a gear-rack, l, the teeth of which mesh into a pinion, m, on the face vof a disk-wheel, a, rotating loosely on a shaft, 0. On this shaft 0, adjacent to the disk, are fixed two ratchet-wheels, p q, having over them, respectively, two pawls, r s, which pawls are connected to an arm, t, mounted and turning loosely on the shaft 0, and reciprocated by a link, a, that connects the arm with a crank-wheel, c, on a shaft, 10, connected, by a gear, at, with a pinion on the pulley-shaft, the pawls being A and B show oppo- O and 1) show details of so arranged that one stands over the ratchetwheel 19, and, by its forward movement, turns said wheel in one direction, (if engaged therewith,) while the other pawl stands over the other wheel, q, and, when engaged therewith,

turns said wheel in the opposite direction to the movement of the other wheel by its pawl, the two ratchet-wheels having teeth standing in opposite directions. The disk at has the edge or shield j of greater diameter than the ratchet-wheels, or than the rest of the disk-perimeter; and each pawl has a spring, 3 or z, which, when raised by the shield j, raises the pawl from which it extends out of contact with the ratchetteeth below it.

As the speed of the driving-shaft unduly increases the out-ward movement of the governor-arms depresses the spindle and turns the pinion m and its disk 12, causing the shield to be thrown under the spring 2, thereby raising the pawl r from its ratchet p, the same movement of the disk drawing the shield j away from the other spring, 3 leaving the pawl s free to act 011 its ratchet 9, its action turnin g the ratchet and the gate-shaft and causing the gate to close until thespeed so far decreases that the governor-arms will fall until they carry the shield under the spring y and stop the action of the pawl 8 upon the ratchet q.

When the speed of the driving-shaft unduly decreases there is a reverse of these operations, the governor-arms falling, the spindle f rising, and the pinion m turning until the shield raises the pawl s and lets the pawl 1 into action with the ratchet 1), said pawl turning the ratchet and the gate-shaft until the gate is raised sufficiently to bring the drivingshaft back to speed.

When the speed is right, both springs y 2 will ride upon the shield without allowing either pawl to drop into its ratchet.

By these means the slightest variation in the speed of the driving-shaft actuates the gateshaft and increases or diminishes the supply of water, as may be required.

When, by the fall of water, the action of the ratchet and pawl mechanism causes the gate to rise without any increase of water, the mechanism will, of course, continue to eifect the rise of the gate, to the injury of it or of the mechanism, unless provision is made to throw out the rachet that effects the rise of the gate, when such rise is unattended by an increased supply of water. Such provision is made, and works automatically as follows: In. the rear of the gear-wheel a of the gate-shaft x is a pin, b which, as the shaft is rotated to raise the gate, is brought into connection with teeth a of a toothed or index wheel, (1 on the end of a rotary shaft, 0 the wheel being locked (except when moved by the pin 12 by a stop, f, on the end of a slide-pin, which is pressed forward by a spring, M. This shaft carriesa lifter, H, which, as it comes into upright position above the shaft, pushes up a vertical slide, 1 connected to one arm, in, of a lever, (said arm being held down normally by the stress of a suitable spring,) and, by pressing up said lever-arm m forces down the other arm n of said lever, causing it to act upon and press down another lever, 0 which acts upon an arm, 11 extending back from the pawl 0, thereby lifting the pawl 1' out of position to act upon the ratchet 19, further rise of the wheel being thereby arrested. The index-wheel and its lifter are so arranged that the lifter is always caused to raise the slide when the gate is fully open or before it has risen far enough to effect any damage.

When the mechanism is set up, the millwright raises the gate to or nearly to its full height, and then sets the lifter in upright position above the shaft 6 Then, whenever the gate reaches such a position, the index-wheel will bring the lifter to this upright position, causing it to lift the slide Z and thereby raise the pawl r.

To operate the gate by hand, a shaft, g is used. This shaft has at one end a hand-wheel, T and at the opposite end a pinion, s and the shaft slides in its bearings so that the pinion can be thrown into engagement with the gate-shaft gear or drawn back therefrom. On the shaft is a grooved sleeve, 1?, into the groove of which extends a fork on the vertical arm of a lever, a having a horizontal arm that extends over the lever 0 the lever of throwing down the lever 0 when the slideshaft is slid outward to engage the pinion s and gear a and thereby disengaging the pawl 1' and permitting the shaft g to be rotated to lower and close the wheel, or to raise and open it.

To connect the pulley-shaft and ratchet and pawl mechanism, the pulley-shaft It carries a pinion, c, that meshes into-a gear, 00, on the crank-wheel shaft w, the crank-wheel 'v of which is connected with the pawl-lever tby I the link a.

I claim- 1. In combination with the gate-shaft w, the two ratchet-gears p q and their pawls rs, and pawl-arms 3 z, the disk-shield j and its pinion m, and the rack-bar Z, arranged to operate sub stantially as shown and described.

2. In combination with the gate-shaft m and the ratchet and pawl mechanism, the index wheel (1 (actuated from the gate-shaft w) the slide 1 lever-arms m n, and lever 0 operating to effect the disengagement of the pawl r by the rise of the gate, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the gate-shaft gear 0?, the rotary hand-wheel 1' and slide-shaft g and its pinion s and the lever a operating to disengage the pawl r by the slide movement of the shaft that engages the pinion s and gear a arranged for opera-tion substantially as set forth.

4. The combination and arrangement of the mechanism connecting the pulley-shaft and the ratchet-pawl mechanism, the pulley-shaft having a pinion, e meshing into and driving a gear, at, on a crank-wheel shaft, 10, the crankwheel being connected by a link, it, with the arm t, to which the pawls are pivoted, all substantially as shown and described.

S. T. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS GOULD, M. W. FROTHINGHAM. 

